Identifying Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac in the Fall is key to staying rash and pain free. Each plant has lovely orange, red or gold colored autumn leaves.
As we happily eat blueberries, raspberries, and grapes, we are aware that some berries are downright dangerous for us to eat or even touch.The fact that plants feed and nourish us humans, and that some plants can poison and kill us is a bit unnerving. The following three plants have white berries and fit into the dangerous and avoid at all costs category.
Poisonous plants make and contain chemicals which deter animals (including humans) from eating them. These poisons can be acidic, bitter or astringent. Some like the oils of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac are skin irritants.
The culprit that causes these reaction is a nonvolatile organic alcohols known as urushiols. These substances must touch the skin to cause a reaction. These substances are oils and not easily washed off with water. In fact water may spread the poison. It only takes fifteen minutes for the rash to show up on the skin. And for goodness sakes never burn the plant, as the poisonous oils are carried in the smoke where it can enter the lungs and irritate the eyes.
The sap, called urushiol, is contained within the cells of the plant. The cell walls have to be compromised to release the oil. Urushiol is in all parts of the plant. Most poisoning takes place during the spring when poison ivy plants have young tender growth which is easily bruised, releasing urushiol. The poisonous oil penetrates easiest where our skin is at its’ thinnest, the finger tips and the neck. The sweeleing and itching peak one to three days after exposure.
The Big Three of Urushiol
The big three of urushiol caused allergic dermatitis are poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. These plants release a poisonous oil-bearing sap which when it comes in contact with human skin, gives us a rash. The rash appears as red streaks which swell from dilated blood vessels. Nasty. All three have white berries. The berries are poisonous. Berries of white, take flight!
Poison Ivy – Divided leaves, each leaf has three leaflets and is hairy, white berries – “leaves of three, let it be” – a vine
Poison Sumac – Divided leaves, each leaf has four or more leaflets, white berries – woody shrub
Poison Oak – Divided leaves, each leaf has three leaflets and is smooth, white berries, in southern and western regions – closely resembles poison ivy though more shrub-like
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy – Divided leaves, each leaf has three leaflets and is hairy, white berries – “leaves of three, let it be”
The fall when we hike through golden leafy woods, is still poison ivy time. I see the hairy, leafless, vines winding up tree trunks all the time. Even the hairy. Leafless vine can cause a rash. Poison leaves turn a deep luscious red which may fool you into thinking the plant is Virginia Creeper. Don’t be fooled.
Poison Sumac
Poison Sumac – Divided leaves, each leaf has four or more leaflets, white berries – woody shrub
Poison Oak
Poison Oak – Divided leaves, each leaf has three leaflets and is smooth, white berries, in southern and western regions – closely resembles poison ivy though more shrub-like.
Identifying Poisonous Plants – Autumn Colors
Scroll over each photo to see which plant is which.
Identifying Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac in the Fall
Check your field guides for the best identification tips and these internet pages.
Allergies to Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac on WebMed.com
How to Identify Poison Ivy (in All Seasons) on Healthline.com
Donna, thank you for this great review of these interesting plants. Just today I saw some gorgeous poison ivy in its fall color, along with the berries, which as you wisely advice, we need to avoid, although they have some benefit for wildlife. I appreciate your mentioning the importance of refraining from burning plants in this group. In California, where my extended family lives, wildfires in areas with a significant poison oak community are a health risk, especially to firefighters.
Thanks Steve. I do find these plants fascinating. I could have written a couple thousands more words about them, but it would have been a very long post. I would like to learn more about them.